How to write a graduation thesis table of contents: structural hierarchy and location description

Key points of this article

The table of contents lists the titles at each level of the text. Each entry corresponds to a title and a page number. You should first outline the text and then write the table of contents.
The first-level title corresponds to "chapter", the second-level title corresponds to "section", and the third-level title corresponds to subsection. The numbers are nested level by level, and the next level cannot be separated from the previous level.
The table of contents is generally placed after the Chinese and English abstracts and before the main text. The page numbers of the abstract and table of contents are usually arranged separately from the main text.
Table of contents entries must be word-for-word consistent with the title of the text. After modifying the title, the table of contents and page numbers must be updated simultaneously.
The specific column level, page number format and order shall be subject to the school's format specifications, please check before proceeding.

When writing a thesis, the table of contents is often the last part to be written. After the text and figures were finalized, I discovered that the chapter numbers did not match up and the page numbers were also messed up. In fact, the content and position of the graduation thesis table of contents have relatively fixed rules: it lists the headings at all levels in the main text, placed after the Chinese and English abstracts and before the main text.

This article is written for undergraduate and graduate students who are preparing to propose or finalize a thesis. After reading, you should be able to tell clearly which items should be in the table of contents, how to nest the title levels, and where the table of contents is located in the paper. You can avoid detours when you start typesetting.

How to write the table of contents for graduation thesis? One sentence conclusion

The core of the graduation thesis table of contents is to list the text titles hierarchically, with each entry corresponding to a title and a page number. The table of contents is only the navigation version of the outline, so the structure of the text should be determined before writing the table of contents.

your situation	Recommended practices	reason
Still writing the outline, chapters undecided	First, use the first-level and second-level headings to outline the outline, and do not arrange page numbers for the time being.	The structure has changed a lot, and the page numbers have been arranged too early and need to be revised repeatedly.
The text has been completed and is ready for finalization	List the titles according to school regulations and check them with the text one by one.	The table of contents is inconsistent with the title of the text, and it is easy to be asked to modify it.
The school only requires to be listed at Level 2	Only chapters and sections are retained, and third-level headings are not included in the table of contents.	Please refer to the school’s format specifications and do not delete or modify based on your experience.
The paper has appendices or many diagrams	The appendix contains separate entries. Whether the chart list is attached will be determined by the school’s requirements.	Different schools have different requirements for appendices and checklists
More abstract pages	The abstract and table of contents are numbered separately, and the main text starts on page 1	The prefix is separated from the main text, making it clearer to check.

How to nest title levels

Most school papers use a three-level heading structure. The first-level headings correspond to "chapters", such as "Chapter 1 Introduction"; the second-level headings correspond to "sections", such as "1.1 Research Background"; and the third-level headings such as "1.1.1 Domestic Research Current Situation".

Numbers should be nested level by level, and the next level can only be placed below the previous level. Entries in the table of contents are also indented hierarchically: the first level is indented, and the second and third levels are indented in sequence. Readers can see the structure at a glance.

What should the directory contain?

The catalog usually lists the following parts. The specific order and whether they are included depends on the school's regulations:

Chinese abstract, English abstract (Roman numerals are commonly used for page numbers)
the directory itself (usually not listed in the directory)
Main text chapters (Arabic page numbers, starting from page 1)
Conclusion
References
Appendix (if any)
Acknowledgments (some schools put it before the references, some after it)

Cover pages and declaration pages are generally not included in the table of contents. They are pre-materials, but are not included in the page number or processed separately.

Common misunderstandings

There are several misunderstandings that can easily lead to repeated catalog errors:

The smaller the directory, the better. If there are too many headings below the third level, the table of contents will become lengthy, and every change to the main text must be maintained simultaneously.
Table of contents is not a copy-paste of titles. If the title of the main text is changed, the table of contents should also be changed; if only one side is changed, it will be easily discovered during inspection.
Page numbers should be based on the final version. The page numbers assigned during the drafting stage will shift as a whole if a paragraph is added or deleted.

📊 Core comparison: How titles at all levels are written in the table of contents

Hierarchy	Common writing methods	Whether to be included in the directory	How to deal with page numbers
Level 1 (Chapter)	Chapter 1 Introduction	included	Each chapter usually starts on a new page, and the page number starts from the main text.
Level 2 (Section)	1.1 Research background	usually included	The page number is taken from the page where the section title is located.
Level 3 (section)	1.1.1 Domestic research status	Depends on school requirements	Same as above, it is recommended to be completely consistent with the title of the text
Conclusion, references, acknowledgments	Conclusion, references	included	Do not add "Chapter X", the numbering shall be based on school regulations

Where to insert the thesis table of contents?

The location of the table of contents is determined by the overall structure of the paper. The common order is as follows:

Cover
Statement of originality and copyright authorization
Chinese abstract and keywords
English abstract and keywords
Table of Contents
Main text (from Chapter 1)
Conclusion
References
Appendix
Acknowledgments

The actual order may vary from school to school. Some schools place acknowledgments before references, while others require appendices after acknowledgments. Before you start, please check the school's paper format specifications first, and don't just rely on other people's templates.

How to use it in practice

If your paper is in Word format (.docx), it can be opened and edited in the UniDoc web editor (app.unidoc.top), which is compatible with the Word format. The steps to organize the directory can be as follows:

First check the level of the text title: use first-level headings for chapters, second-level headings for sections, and third-level headings for subsections. The numbers correspond to the levels one by one.
Insert the table of contents after the Chinese and English abstracts and before the main text, and set the page numbers of the abstract and table of contents separately from the main text.
If the editor supports generating a table of contents based on the title style, generate it directly; if it does not support it, manually list the titles at all levels and fill in the page numbers.
Check the text and numbers of the table of contents entries and the text titles one by one to make sure there are no missing or redundant entries.
After finalizing, check the page numbers again to confirm that the page numbers in the table of contents are consistent with the actual page numbers of the text, and then export the final file.

If you need to convert the final paper to PDF or do other checks, you can also use the desktop client (download.omnidoc.top) to process PDF files.

🎯 Which method is suitable for you?

If you are at different stages, you can arrange it according to the following ideas:

Just started writing: First use the outline to determine the chapters and sections. The table of contents is not page numbered yet to avoid repeated rework after frequent changes in the structure.
The main text is basically completed: Unify the title style, regenerate or manually organize the table of contents, and check item by item.
Submitting soon: Check the directory level, page number format and sequence against the school specifications, and finally look at the actual page numbers again.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. The table of contents page numbers do not match, what should I do?

Most likely, the page numbers were not updated after the text was changed. After modifying the text, recheck the page numbers of each title and confirm that the page number starting points for the abstract, table of contents, and text are set correctly.

2. Should the abstract and table of contents be page numbered?

Usually required, but often arranged separately from the main text. Roman numerals are commonly used in the prefix, and the text begins on page 1 of Arabic numerals. The details are subject to school regulations.

3. Does the table of contents have to be listed to the third level heading?

uncertain. Some schools require students to be listed at Level 3, while others only require students to be listed at Level 2. Check the school's formatting specifications first, and then decide the depth of the catalog. Do not delete it on your own.

4. Does the chart list need to be placed in the directory?

Some schools require a separate chart list, while others do not. If there are many charts, first confirm whether the school requires them, and then decide whether to list them on another page.

5. How to update the table of contents after modifying the title text?

Table of contents entries must match the title of the text. After modifying the title, synchronize the text in the table of contents and check whether the page numbers have changed.

📝 Summary

The key to the graduation thesis table of contents is to first determine the text level, then list it item by chapter, section, and subsection, and place it after the abstract and before the main text. After you finish writing, you can avoid most rework by checking the title and page number one by one. Specific specifications are subject to school requirements.

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